Why Your Chicken Dropped All Her Feathers at Once

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Why does it look like some of your chickens don’t molt at all, while others are nearly bald during molting season?

Don’t worry—while it may appear that only a few ladies from your flock are molting in summer and fall, they all go through normal, healthy cycles that take anywhere from as little as one month to as long as five months.

Here’s a look at why some of your chickens seem to be speedy molters, while others go through a full molt very slowly.

[{"selector":"#anim-2ab07d70-cb11-4b00-813c-c75b6c4884ad","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b0814dc6-b68b-4995-a3a9-3959b5856c14","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -95.93577%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] The main factor that determines the length of time for old feathers to shed and new feathers to grow is the particular breed of chicken . Learn more

[{"selector":"#anim-c78eec4f-ddf5-4aa9-9888-062432d962c2","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7405c278-18e5-4795-82c4-c4236a5585f1","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -95.93577%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Your most productive layers will molt the fastest. Learn more

[{"selector":"#anim-686e3c52-ebc0-40f4-962b-e40727b0c76b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-afc8c560-a250-440a-a16a-ed67ecb0fdfd","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -95.93577%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] They go through hard molts, whereby clutches of feathers seemingly drop overnight. It’s sometimes hard to believe that big old pile of feathers came from only one chicken! Learn more

[{"selector":"#anim-a480a210-cd16-455e-82e0-f9e6cc2e0cd4","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0110cfce-cdc9-47f2-8d3a-62c5a8b3b118","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -95.93577%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Hard molters can resemble porcupines (hilariously so!) and while their appearance is a little unsightly at this stage, they usually have fluffy new coats within weeks of their first feather drop. Learn more

[{"selector":"#anim-a4ca0179-eb6d-4080-a9bc-918e299fdfe0","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e3ae5bf5-4a78-4995-b76e-6b7d25d65fd2","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -95.93577%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Hard molters generally resume egg production after finishing their molts, which explains why certain chickens continue laying through the dark days of winter. Learn more

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